


What if I Miss?

by aceschwarz222



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Princess Diaries Fusion, Balloons, Bucky Barnes Feels, Fluff, Fun, Painting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 06:12:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10656582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceschwarz222/pseuds/aceschwarz222
Summary: Bucky catches you doing something Tony would definitely not approve of. That doesn't stop you from roping him in to help recreate your favorite scene from the Princess Diaries.





	What if I Miss?

“Tony is going to kill you,” Bucky said, staring at the living room incredulously. 

You had pushed all of the furniture to one side of the room and hung a large, white tarp down the far wall. Plastic sheets covered the immediate furniture and spilled onto the floor. You were currently kneeling over the edge of the tarp filling a balloon with blue paint. A bucket next to your feet already was already filled with balloons of various colors. Your hair was tied in a messy bun on top of your head, and you wore a ratty pair of sweatpants. Specks of paint dotted your college t-shirt, and you gave Bucky a playful grin.

“Oh good, you can help!” you replied. Ignoring the look of shock on his face, you pulled him over to the tarp and handed him a balloon and yellow paint. “Here, fill this up for me.”

“But, Tony-”

You giggled. “Oh come on, Barnes. What Tony doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” You carried the bucket of balloons over to the part of the tarp hanging on the wall and starting taping them up in chevron-shaped rows. “Besides, he’s out all day at some board meeting for Stark Industries,” you continued. “He won’t be back until tonight, and this will all be cleaned up by then.”

Bucky inhaled as if he was going to speak, but one look at the expression on your face told him to quit while he was ahead. Once you got an idea in your head, it was hard convincing you otherwise. He carefully opened the balloon and started pouring in the yellow paint. Satisfied that Bucky wasn’t going to fight you any further, you turned around and finished taping up balloons.

After Bucky had tied the balloon, you handed him some tape and disappeared behind the bar. “Well, don’t just stand there, tape it up!” your voice called. Bucky stared at the tarp considering his options. There was a bigger white space near the center of the tarp, so he taped the balloon there. He kept staring at the wall, wondering what, exactly, you planned on doing.

You came back over to the tarp with a small box. Bucky recognized it from the games of darts Tony liked to play when he hosted his dinner parties. You both stood at the edge of the tarp. Your face held a look of determination and his held one of mild confusion. You turned to face him. “Okay Barnes, you’ve come this far. Are you with me?”

“I...I guess?” he responded.

“Okay, just watch what I do,” you replied.

Opening the dart box, you pulled one out and took aim. You closed one eye, and the tip of your tongue peeked out of your mouth as you concentrated on your target. You pulled your arm back and smoothly released the dart. Bucky followed its path as it made direct contact with a blue balloon.

The balloon burst and paint splattered all over the tarp. The bright blue was a stark contrast to the clean, white fabric, and Bucky’s eyes widened at the design.

“Your turn!” you announced, placing a dart in Bucky’s hand. He stared nervously between the dart and the tarp. What if he missed? What if he messed up your design?

“What if I miss?” he asked.

“Then you get a new dart and try again,” you replied, simply. “You’re overthinking it, Bucky.” You stood behind him and positioned his arm, kicking his feet open to widen his stance. “Just relax, breathe, and release.”

Bucky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and pulled his arm back before releasing the dart. He watched it travel and his heart sank as it missed a yellow balloon. It stuck into the tarp with a muffled THUMP.

“No biggie!” you said as you carefully retrieved the two darts. “Try it again.”

“I’m good,” he replied, shaking his head.

“Not an option,” you shot back, placing the dart in his hand again. “Come on, we’ll do it at the same time.”

You stood next to Bucky and pulled back your arm. He mimicked your actions.

“Okay,” you said, “1...2...3!”

You both released the darts at the same time, and this time, they both hit their targets. Bucky’s pierced a red balloon, and the paint scattered over the blue that was already on the tarp. Your dart hit the yellow balloon Bucky had missed earlier. It was chaotic and messy, but for some reason, it looked amazing.

You looked at each other and rushed over to the tarp to get the darts back. Giggling, you continued to create your mess of a painting.

“Where did you learn to do this?” Bucky asked as he watched a blue balloon explode.

“ _ Princess Diaries _ , of course! This is from my favorite scene!” you replied. Noticing his blank expression, you added, “It’s a movie. We definitely need to watch it!”

“It is pretty neat,” he said, admiring the different streaks of color across the tarp.

“Wanna know a secret?” you asked, grinning mischievously. He nodded. “This isn’t the first time I’ve done this here.”

“No way!” Bucky gasped.

You nodded. “Yup, this is time number four, I think.”

Bucky just shook his head and threw another dart. “Oh, don’t give me that look, Barnes!” you scolded. “It’s not like I ever leave a mess. Tarps and washable paint are the best invention since duct tape.”

“Whatever. If Tony ever finds out, I’m denying any involvement.”

You stuck your tongue out and went back to your mission. Before you knew it, all of the balloons were popped. Bucky’s heart actually sank a little bit as he scanned the rest of the tarp and realized you were done. This little activity had actually been a lot of fun.

You both stood back to admire the new art. Most of the colors were concentrated in the chevron shapes you had laid out with the balloons. Small speckles dotted the other random white spaces, and it almost reminded Bucky of a painting he had seen at MOMA with you earlier in the month. He liked that you only used primary colors because it seemed more playful and childlike. It looked like nothing and something beautiful at the same time.

“This looks amazing, Y/N,” he breathed.

“Yeah, we did a good job,” you agreed. “I think you should keep this one.”

He turned to face you, a look of surprised joy on his face. “Seriously? Are you sure?”

“Yeah!” you nodded. “I have three others. Besides, you did help.”

“Thanks,” Bucky replied, staring back at the tarp. “Can we do this again?”

You were a bit surprised, but secretly pleased, by his question.

“Yeah, Barnes,” you chuckled softly, “we can do this again.” You grabbed his shoulders and spun him to you. “But there’s two conditions.”

“And what’s that?” he asked, playfully.

“Well, first, help me clean this up.”

“Done. And the second?”

You looked him in the eyes and gave him a shy smile. “Watch  _ Princess Diaries _ with me when we’re done?” you asked hopefully.

Bucky grinned and pulled you in for a hug.

“It’s a date.”


End file.
